🇸🇬 Audi F1 R:17.2026 Bahrain Grand Prix: Practice 1 & Sprint Qualifying (Friday)

Nico Hülkenberg qualified 12th and Gabriel Bortoleto 14th for the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint, with both Audi Revolut F1 Team drivers advancing through SQ1 before falling short of the final qualifying session. Just 0.046 seconds separated their best SQ2 laps, leaving both outside the top ten on a closely matched Friday evening.

The weekend’s only practice session provided limited preparation, particularly for Hülkenberg, who completed 16 laps and finished 18th with a best time of 1:34.884. Bortoleto logged 25 laps and placed 16th at 1:34.736. His session started positively, but issues toward the end of practice left him less comfortable with the car and gave the team additional work ahead of Sprint Qualifying.

A red flag compressed the decisive running in SQ1 into the final five minutes, but both Audi drivers progressed reasonably comfortably. Hülkenberg recorded a 1:34.128, while Bortoleto advanced with a 1:34.690. Bortoleto’s confidence improved as qualifying continued, although neither driver put together an optimal second run in SQ2.

Hülkenberg’s 1:33.420 secured 12th, with Bortoleto two places behind on a 1:33.466. Bortoleto lost time in the final sector after a snap at the second-to-last corner, a costly interruption given the small gaps between cars. Audi’s assessment was that a place in SQ3 was within reach, although the team still had work to do to extract that performance consistently.

Saturday brings the Sprint followed by qualifying for the Grand Prix, giving Audi another opportunity to improve its starting positions for Sunday. The immediate task is to make progress from the sixth and seventh rows in the Sprint, while Friday’s running will guide further adjustments for main qualifying. Singapore’s heat and humidity add to the physical demands across both sessions.

SCHEDULE

DAY/DATE	ACTIVITY	TRACK TIME	CET	EST
Fri 09 Oct	Practice 1	16:30-17:30	10:30-11:30	4:30 AM – 5:30 AM
Fri 09 Oct	Sprint Qualifying	20:30-21:14	14:30-15:14	8:00 AM -9:14 AM
Sat 10 Oct	Sprint Race	17:00-18:00	11:00-12:00	5:00 AM – 6:00 AM
Sat 10 Oct	Qualifying	21:00-22:00	15:00-16:00	9:00 AM -10:00 AM
Sun 11 Oct	Grand Prix	20:00	14:00	12:00 AM

RACE INFORMATION

AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL SINGAPORE GP WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS

FREE PRACTICE #1 RESULTS

FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME/GAP	LAPS
1	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:32.274	28
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.198	26
3	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.273	24
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.499	26
5	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.564	27
6	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.732	22
7	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+1.251	28
8	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+1.449	27
9	10	Pierre Gassly	Alpine	+1.764	26
10	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1.881	25
–	–	–	–	–	–
16	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+2.462	25
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+2.610	16

SPRINT QUALIFYING RESULTS

FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	1	Q2	Q3	LAPS
1	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:33.477	1:32.701	1:31.156	15
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:33.573	1:32.614	1:31.276	21
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:33.495	1:32.246	1:31.399	19
4	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:34.277	1:33.106	1:31.454	19
5	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:34.257	1:32.572	1:31.587	15
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:33.748	1:32.562	1:31.702	14
7	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:34.392	1:32.998	1:31.849	20
8	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:34.392	1:32.998	1:31.849	20
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:34.182	1:32.947	DNF	15
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:34.673	1:33.155	DNF	15
–	–	–	–			–	–
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:34.128	1:33.420	–	14
14	4	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:34.690	1:33.466

SPRINT STARTING GRID

LEFT SIDE	RIGHT SIDE (RACING LINE)
George Russell, Mercedes (P2)	Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P1)
Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P4)	Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (P3)
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (P6)	Lando Norris, McLaren (P5)
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls (P8)	Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (P7)
Pierre Gasly, Alpine (P10)	Isack Hadjar, Red Bull (P9)
Nico Hulkenberg, Audi (P12)	Franco Colapinto, Alpine (P11)
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi (P14)	Oliver Bearman, Haas (P13)
Esteban Ocon, Haas (P16)	Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (P15)
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (P18)	Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls (P17)
Sergio Perez, Cadillac (P20)	Alexander Albon, Williams (P19)
Carlos Sainz, Williams (P22)	Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac (P21)

TEAM QUOTES

Allan McNish, Racing Director
“The first part of Sprint Qualifying is always a busy session for everybody, particularly with the red flag confining the crucial part to the final five minutes of action. We got through SQ1 reasonably comfortably and, while the first lap in SQ2 was good, the second wasn’t quite optimal for either one of our drivers. Ultimately, Nico and Gabi were left in 12th and 14th respectively, with very little separating the two of them.

“I think we ultimately had the performance to be inside the top ten, and we were only a small margin away from achieving that. From a pure performance perspective, we have a clear focus for tomorrow’s main qualifying session and will aim to make it one step further. However, before that we have the Sprint race, and we need to make sure we are in ready to make the most of any opportunity in that one, too.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
FP1: 18th / 1:34.884 (16 laps)
SQ1: 1:34.128 (8 laps)
SQ2: 12th / 1:33.420 (6 laps)

“It was a decent Sprint Qualifying. We had a very strong run in SQ1, and while SQ2 wasn’t quite as competitive, I think it reflected where we are at the moment. Considering we had limited running in FP1, I’m reasonably satisfiedwith how the session went.

“It’s going to be a tough weekend: hot, humid and physically demanding. We’ll take what we’ve learned today, see where we can make some improvements overnight and then focus on getting the most out of the Sprint tomorrow.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
FP1: 16th / 1:34.736 (25 laps)
SQ1: 1:34.690 (8 laps)
SQ2: 14th / 1:33.466 (6 laps)

“Everything was very close in SQ2. I feel my final lap was decent, but I left a little bit on the table in the last sector, with a big snap at the second-to-last corner. With such small gaps between cars, that makes a difference. Overall, it’s been an interesting day. We started well in FP1, but towards the end of practice we had a few issues,and I wasn’t as happy with the car. At the start of qualifying, we were also off the pace we expected, but we managed to make a step forward and I felt more confident as the session went on. Still, it wasn’t quite enough for SQ3. It’s still early in the weekend and we’re far from having everything optimised, so there’s plenty to work on.”

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